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Friday, 6 September 2013

Window Shopping with Wenger

The summer transfer window has finally slammed shut, leaving fans either in a state of optimism for the upcoming season or one of frustration for the lack of activity. Being a gooner I would like to dedicate this first post to Arsenal.

Mesut Özil: der Rabe

Well there’s only one place to start and that’s to our German marksman, who started off his career at FC Schalke 04. Mesut Özil made his name as a prolific playmaker at Los Blancos recording 71 assists in 158 games. A marquee signing? Yes. At £42.4 million pounds it has demolished our previous biggest transfer by at least threefold, however could this money have been better spent elsewhere? Or are we now on the road to bigger signings in the future?

It is no secret that financially Arsenal are one of the crème de la crème within world football. With Forbes listing us as the fourth wealthiest club in the world with revenue figures estimated at £235 million and a team that is valued at £836 million pounds, it was evident that this year our financial pulling power would be greater than ever.On top of all that, Ivan Gazidis inexplicably let slip our “warchest” for the summer, prompting fans worldwide dreaming up fantasy teams with Rooney, Suarez or Benzema. Inevitably, it was a summer of minimal incoming activity but on the plus side, I'm glad we got rid of most of the "deadwood" at the club, most of whom were on very high wages.

With about half our "warchest" emptied for Özil could this money have been better spent elsewhere? Well, it has been a cause of concern for many years that since the departure of Patrick Vieira in 2005, we have needed a powerhouse in midfield, a robust defensive anchorman that could put himself about and free the shackles for our creative forces. From the injury plagued Abou Diaby to the awkward Denilson, nobody as of yet has been able to pick up the mantle after Vieira.

How do you replace the irreplaceable?

A back up striker, a defensive midfielder and a commanding centre back are definite areas where we lack. I do understand that Mathieu Flamini was brought back for defensive cover and some of his leadership qualities shone through during the North London derby, but only time will tell if it was right to bring him back after he left us in the lurch in 2008. It has been a summer of fake clauses, from the Luis Suarez saga, to French freebies, but now should be the time to push on. With a massive signing under our belt, I feel we can hopefully persuade other big names to join us in the future and with a core group of talented home-grown players, the future for us is bright. The future is red.

Leave your comments below about Arsenal’s transfer policy or anything else football related and if you like, you could even let me know what you want me to talk about on next week’s segment.